Funny things read yesterday

I'll start with the sort of hockey-related one. I came across this article in which mentions Chad Denny's participation in a youth democracy campaign in Canada -- "D250: Make Your Mark, a marketing campaign encouraging young people to vote, voice their opinions and get involved in their communities."

Other youth ambassadors include Halifax Mooseheads forward Brad
Marchand, who has won gold medals with Canada at the last two world
junior hockey championships, and Atlanta Thrashers draft pick Chad
Denny, the first Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq to play in the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League.

Sounds like a fine cause. But I got hung up on the first line of it: "Halifax hip-hop star Jordan Croucher..."

Halifax hip-hop star? Isn't that a little like saying "Toyko bluegrass star"?

We take our hip-hop pretty seriously in Atlanta. In fact, I think it is the top city for it, having surpassed New York. OutKast, Usher, Lil Jon, you name it. I'm not going to go sample Croucher's stuff, but you can if you want. Here's his myspace page.


Next, I wanted to share a hilarious essay I read yesterday. I was in Barnes & Noble and had picked up a book off the sale rack called "Bookmark Now: Writing in the Age of Information Overload." One essay in particular by David Glen Gold called "Your Own Personal Satan" almost caused me to disrupt the other readers in armchairs with sudden explosive laughter. I only just held it in. Here's a link to it. It's only nine pages and you won't be disappointed.

I could relate to a lot of it, especially the point that meeting readers isn't usually what you envision it will be. Most of the people who come up to me and ask "Are you Holly?" are parents or other relatives of prospects, and this happens at the rink. That's cool. But sometimes I get misidentified though -- I've been asked if I'm Christine Troyke (GDP) or Carroll Rogers (AJC). And then there was the time I was stopped while Christmas shopping by a reader. I felt like players must during interviews -- the other person knows a lot more about me than I know about them, and I have no idea where this conversation is going. It's weird when the shoe is on the other foot. Overall I would rather people didn't know me by face so I can observe anonymously. I look pretty harmless, which can work to my advantage. Like at the draft, hanging out in lobbies. Play dumb.

And lastly, this won't make as much sense until after you read the essay, but hello David Glen Gold! :)